Power Ranking the Naismith Player of the Year Candidates in College Basketball

This week’s Top 25 polls brought college basketball one of its biggest shakeups in recent memory, and it’s time for our Player of the Year rankings to get a shakeup of their own. Raw statistics are well and good, but contributing to a winner—a new focus of these rankings—means an awful lot, too.

One player who’s done that in spades is Miami point guard Shane Larkin. Largely unknown to start the season, the sophomore standout is making plays on both ends of the floor for the highest-ranked Hurricanes team ever.

Read on for more on Larkin and the rest of the 20 top candidates to hoist the Naismith hardware by the end of the year.

Note: this article has been drastically modified from its original published version, so many comments below may reflect the previous rankings.

20. Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State

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Jamaal Franklin hauled in 19 rebounds in two San Diego State wins last week, but that’s about it for good news for the Aztecs star. He’s still struggling to keep his scoring at Naismith levels despite having ceded his de facto point guard duties to Chase Tapley.

Key Stats: 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game

Eye Test: Fading noticeably in MWC play, and Xavier Thames’ return is likely to cut into his contributions even further.

19. Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

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Though it was teammate Larry Drew II who nailed the game-winning shot, Shabazz Muhammad put on a show in UCLA’s win over Washington.

Not only did he turn in one of his best offensive efforts of the season (22 points and eight rebounds), but he’s finally starting to make plays on D. 40 percent of his steals on the year have come in the last three games.

18. Rotnei Clarke, Butler

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Rotnei Clarke is as lethal a pure shooter as there is in the college game. The heart of Butler’s offense showed some unusual versatility last week, combining for 11 rebounds and nine assists in wins over GW and St. Bonaventure.

16. Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

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The latest milestone for freshman sensation Nerlens Noel is a string of three straight double-doubles (and counting) after convincing wins over South Carolina and Auburn. Of course he’s still a peerless defensive weapon, too, holding on to the national lead in blocks.

Noel's season may be in jeopardy after an apparent knee injury against Florida Tuesday night, but no prognosis is available at this writing.

Key Stats: 9.6 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 2.1 steals per game

Eye Test: His defense makes Kentucky a good team, but his offensive limitations prevent it from being a great one.

15. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga

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Kelly Olynyk didn’t get a lot of opportunity to impress this week, as a pair of blowout wins for Gonzaga cut down on his minutes. Still, he did manage to turn in a 20-point effort (on 7-for-8 shooting, yet) in the rout of Loyola Marymount.

14. Jack Cooley, Notre Dame

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Jack Cooley kept his double-double streak alive at seven, but that’s about all the good that can be said for his week. A pair of subpar performances included a frustrating foul-out after playing just 32 minutes in Saturday’s five-OT epic against Louisville.

Key Stats: 14.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game

Eye Test: Immensely difficult matchup because of his strength, but isn’t necessarily the focal point on either end for balanced Notre Dame.

12. Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

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Even a dreadful shooting night against Baylor hasn’t slowed down scorching-hot Marcus Smart. He’s up to fourth in the country in steals and he combined for 15 boards and 10 assists in wins over the Bears and the Texas Longhorns last week.

8. Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse

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Nobody’s happier to see James Southerland back in action than his Syracuse teammate, Michael Carter-Williams. After a couple of iffy games, Carter-Williams blew up in Southerland’s return against St. John’s, racking up 17 points, eight assists and six steals.

Key Stats: 4.7 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.1 steals per game

Eye Test: Syracuse’s success has been far more of a team effort than Carter-Williams’ jaw-dropping numbers would suggest.

Winning Edge: Only player in national top three in two major stat categories.

6. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State

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One of the few bright spots in Ohio State’s home loss to Indiana was Deshaun Thomas’ biggest game in weeks.

Still, even 26 points and seven rebounds from Thomas couldn’t salvage that defeat, just as a more average showing from the Buckeye star couldn't save Ohio State in an OT loss in Ann Arbor last Tuesday.

3. Trey Burke, Michigan

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Although Trey Burke did his job in a home win over Ohio State, Wisconsin’s defense appeared to have his number. The Badgers held Burke to a mere four assists and forced him into an 8-for-21 shooting night in getting his 19 points.

Key Stats: 18.2 points and 7.1 assists per game

Eye Test: Outstanding clutch defender, but can take too much of the offense on his own shoulders in crunch time.

Winning Edge: Most dangerous all-around offensive player in the country.

Biggest Flaw: Though a fine long-range shooter, he’s only the fourth-best on his own team.

2. Victor Oladipo, Indiana

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Like his Indiana team, Victor Oladipo had a Jekyll-and-Hyde week. After a shaky performance (including a key turnover) against Illinois, Oladipo did plenty to redeem himself with 26 points and eight rebounds in trouncing Ohio State.

1. Mason Plumlee, Duke

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It’s hard to find anything to complain about in Mason Plumlee’s game these days. He followed his second 30-point effort in three contests with a 19-point, 10-board double-double in a gutty road win over a game Boston College squad.